Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has named the 19th Virginia-class attack sub after the “Freedom and Unity” state.
The boat with hull number 792 is to be named the USS Vermont, to honor that state’s naval history, including the 1814 naval victory at the Battle of Lake Champlain that ended a British invasion of the mid-Atlantic states.
“From our nation’s beginning, the people of Vermont have tirelessly supported our Navy, enabling us to become the unparalleled fighting force we are today,” Mabus said in a Thursday press release. “I am here on the banks of Lake Champlain to once again honor the sailors and Marines who have come from this great state, and to honor your support of our Navy and Marine Corps and your naval history.”
The Vermont is the first of 10 Block IV Virginia-class subs the service ordered in April for a record $17.6 billion. The Block IV subs will require fewer major availabilities and will be able to deploy 15 times during their lifespan, rather than the 14 times slated for earlier Virginia-class blocks.
Once commissioned, the Vermont will be the fleet’s first ship named after that state since 1920, when a World War I battleship was retired.
